Nice, Alex T."Rome, Ancient." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Ehrlich, Anne, and Paul Ehrlich. "Ecoscience: The Greeks and Romans Did It, Too!" Mother Earth News. N.p., May-June 1980. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. "Natural Resources Conservation Service." U.S. Department of Agriculture. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
The Problem Then
Agriculture was the biggest part of the Roman economy, and most Romans were farmers. In the valleys surrounding Rome, farmers grew barley, rye, and wheat, and olives and grapes were grown on hillsides. Farmers also raised sheep, goats, hogs, cattle and poultry. As the empire expanded, Rome gained more natural resources. The Africans produced a lot of olive oil, a substance used for cooking and fuel. In about the middle of the 5th century CE, the colder and wetter climate that had developed in Northern and Western Europe caused a lot of flooding. This prevented the farmers from being able to farm, and destroyed some natural resources.
The change in climate also caused soil erosion because many areas were stripped of all of their trees and farmed too much. This made it difficult to farm or make any use of this land, which meant even less resources.
Mining was the second most important part of Roman economy. The natural resources available in ancient Rome were marble from Greece and northern Italy, copper and iron ore from Italy, silver form Spain and Britain, and iron for military purposes, lead for water pipes, and tin from Britain also. These resources were used to construct huge buildings in Rome and other cities in the empire. However, eventually, these mines just didn't have any more metal to give to the miners, and the Romans ran out of yet another important natural resource.
The government used gold, silver, copper, and bronze to mint their coins The Romans received most of their raw metals from Northern Europe. When the empire stopped conquering, they began to run out of the natural resources used to make their coins because there were no new lands with natural resources. As a result of this, the Romans began minting coins with less value, so inflation occurred.
Every time the Roman Empire conquered a territory, they received that territory’s natural resources. These resources were used both to pay for the conquest, and to pay for future conquests. After the Romans stopped expanding, they did not have enough resources to support the empire.
The Romans ended up wasting much of the resources that they gained form conquering territories because they had no system for managing the wealth that they inherited from places that they conquered. Instead, the Romans used up all of the resources that they got from a territory, and then were forced to conquer a new place in order to gain enough resources. When the Romans stopped conquering, they were not able to replenish their resources.
The Romans needed a TON of timber for cooking, heating, building, and even the production of other items. This led to the deforestation of many areas, and eventually the Romans ran out of timber. This timber shortage got so bad that the Romans had to relocate some of their factories because there was no wood to burn for heat/fuel. Eventually the Romans had to look to the north to find wood. The problem with this was that the Romans had no system for conserving land or replanting trees, nor did they think to try to create one.
Rome nearly all but destroyed its natural resource of animals. Not only were they hunted for food or clothing, but the Romans captured thousands of exotic creatures, (leopards, tigers, buffalo) and put them in the Coliseum and other places like it to fight to the death against each other or against humans. For example, when Trajan conquered Dacia, his conquest was celebrated with the killing of 11,000 animals. These numbers are staggering, and it explains part of the lack of natural resources in Rome. If the people had eaten these animals rather than just mauling them, then a lot less people would be starving, and the animal fat could be used for fuel, the skin for clothing, and so much more. Instead, the Romans went to great lengths to waste a very valuable resource.
Problems and Solutions Now
There are two main types of resources used for energy: nonrenewable resources and renewable resources. Examples of nonrenewable resources are: gasoline, propane, coal, natural gas, and more. These resources cannot be reused, so eventually they will run out. Examples of renewable resources are solar power, wind power, geothermal power, and more. These resources can be reused, so they will not run out. The United States uses both nonrenewable and renewable resources, but advancements in technology are allowing people to harness the power of the water, the wind, and the sun more than ever before. Renewable energy only accounts for about 7% of the world’s energy, which means that fossil fuels and nuclear energy, both non-renewable, are providing 93% of the world’s energy.
Some scientists predict that our world’s supply of fossil fuels will be depleted in 50 years, while others predict 100-120 years.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a federal agency that works to protect and maintain natural resources in the United States. This agency funds many programs, as well as instituting bills to help with resource conservation such as the Food, Energy, and Conservation Act. There are many conservation programs beneath this act. One of these acts is Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, which works to restore the habitats of native species and repopulate those species.
Ohio is working towards using renewable, sustainable energy sources, and the change that Ohioans are making is helping more than just the environment. Ohio has 75,000 farms, and over 2,000 companies are involved in building parts for renewable energy systems. The building of these parts could create 23,000 jobs for Ohioans! Ohio is second in the country in solar panel production.
Some people believe that global warming is causing a resource crisis. One of the major resource people believe will be affected is water. Although the earth is 70% water, only about 1% is truly suitable for drinking and sanitation. It is believed that by around 2050, 1,100 countries will experience a higher risk of water shortages. Places in India and Africa are already experiencing shortages, and many people are having difficulty finding water that is safe to drink. The Water Project is a program designed to help fight back against the water shortage, and provide clean drinking water for some of the 800 million people who don't have access to it.
Climate change is also causing the price of raw materials to go up. The price of food is also increasing, much like what happened in Rome. In addition, there may soon be a shortage of two fertilizers, phosphorus and potassium.
There are three main reasons for this resource crisis. The first reason is simply that the world is becoming overpopulated. By 2050, the world population is predicted to have increased by 2 billion people. There are just not enough resources for everyone. Also, global wealth is increasing, which means that there are more people in the middle class. This means that more people can afford more expensive items, so a shortage is developing of the resources used to make those items. The third reason as to why resources are becoming higher in value is that there is an increase in urbanization, or many rural or suburban areas are transforming into urban areas. An increase in urbanization contributes to the resource crisis because the people living in urban areas will need even more of the commodities used by many that are made with natural resources.
Of all of the earth’s land, only 11% is able to grow crops. The rest is composed of mountains, deserts, and other things not suitable for farming.
Many wars and fights are as countries fight over valuable natural resources that are in small supply. The UNEP (United Nations Environmental Protection) has many different suggestions on how to prevent conflict as a result of natural resource depletion, and almost all of these suggestions follow two main concepts: Communicating within the country and with other countries in order to create a plan for how to manage resources effectively, and preventing people from illegally trading and extracting natural resources.
Expert Contacts
1. Jeremy Grantham, Columnist Email From Me: Mr. Grantham,Hi, I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and, in my social studies class, we are doing a project in which we are to research one of the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire, and then research that same problem in the modern world. The topic that I chose was the depletion of natural resources, which was definitely a big problem in Rome, and is still a problem today. The final part of our project is to research current solutions to our problem, and then to use those solutions to try to fix the problem in Rome. I realize that you are not an expert on natural resources or climate change, as you mentioned in your article, however you made some very good points not only about the problem of the depletion of natural resources due to climate change, but you also made some points about what needs to be done to solve these problems. I was curious as to if you know of any new or unique scientists or organizations that are working to solve the problem of the depletion of natural resources, or if you have any solutions yourself. Thank you for your time, and please respond at your earliest convenience.Thanks!Erica L. Response: None yet 2. John Matthews, Roman History Professor at Yale University; Bruce Frier, Roman History Professor at Princeton University Email From Me: Professor Matthews,Hi, my name is Erica and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have been studying ancient Rome for a while, and now, to close out the unit, we are doing a project in which we have to apply modern technology to solve one of the problems in Rome that ultimately led to the downfall of the Roman Empire. The problem that I chose to do my project on was the depletion of natural resources. I am seeking your expertise in the area of the Roman Empire to help me answer these questions: 1. From my research I know that timber was a very important resource in the Roman Empire, and that timber was one of the resources that was overused and thus became depleted. I understand that timber had many uses, including building, cooking, heating, and more. My question to you is: How was timber used as an energy source in the Roman Empire, (in places such as ceramics factories.) and what modern day renewable energy sources could have served the same purpose in the Roman Empire? 2. What resources did the Romans have an abundance of? Also, how much of these resources were available to the Romans, and how could they have extracted these resources? Thank you so much for your time, and please respond as soon as you can. If this is not your area of knowledge, I apologize for the inconvenience, and if you could please pass this message on to someone who would be able to answer my question, that would be great. Thanks!
Response From Matthews: None yet Response From Frier:
I don't really know much about this subject, Erica, but you might take a look at the Wikipedia article on deforestation in the Roman Empire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_during_the_Roman_period. It refers to some modern scholarship. The Romans burned most obviously burnable materials, including especially straw and agricultural waste. BWF
Bibliography
Nice, Alex T."Rome, Ancient." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
Ehrlich, Anne, and Paul Ehrlich. "Ecoscience: The Greeks and Romans Did It, Too!" Mother Earth News. N.p., May-June 1980. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
"Natural Resources Conservation Service." U.S. Department of Agriculture. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
The Problem Then
Problems and Solutions Now
Expert Contacts
1. Jeremy Grantham, Columnist
Email From Me: Mr. Grantham,Hi, I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and, in my social studies class, we are doing a project in which we are to research one of the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire, and then research that same problem in the modern world. The topic that I chose was the depletion of natural resources, which was definitely a big problem in Rome, and is still a problem today. The final part of our project is to research current solutions to our problem, and then to use those solutions to try to fix the problem in Rome. I realize that you are not an expert on natural resources or climate change, as you mentioned in your article, however you made some very good points not only about the problem of the depletion of natural resources due to climate change, but you also made some points about what needs to be done to solve these problems. I was curious as to if you know of any new or unique scientists or organizations that are working to solve the problem of the depletion of natural resources, or if you have any solutions yourself. Thank you for your time, and please respond at your earliest convenience.Thanks!Erica L.
Response: None yet
2. John Matthews, Roman History Professor at Yale University; Bruce Frier, Roman History Professor at Princeton University
Email From Me: Professor Matthews,Hi, my name is Erica and I am a seventh grade student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have been studying ancient Rome for a while, and now, to close out the unit, we are doing a project in which we have to apply modern technology to solve one of the problems in Rome that ultimately led to the downfall of the Roman Empire. The problem that I chose to do my project on was the depletion of natural resources. I am seeking your expertise in the area of the Roman Empire to help me answer these questions:
1. From my research I know that timber was a very important resource in the Roman Empire, and that timber was one of the resources that was overused and thus became depleted. I understand that timber had many uses, including building, cooking, heating, and more. My question to you is: How was timber used as an energy source in the Roman Empire, (in places such as ceramics factories.) and what modern day renewable energy sources could have served the same purpose in the Roman Empire?
2. What resources did the Romans have an abundance of? Also, how much of these resources were available to the Romans, and how could they have extracted these resources?
Thank you so much for your time, and please respond as soon as you can. If this is not your area of knowledge, I apologize for the inconvenience, and if you could please pass this message on to someone who would be able to answer my question, that would be great.
Thanks!
Response From Matthews: None yet
Response From Frier:
I don't really know much about this subject, Erica, but you might take a look at the Wikipedia article on deforestation in the Roman Empire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_during_the_Roman_period. It refers to some modern scholarship. The Romans burned most obviously burnable materials, including especially straw and agricultural waste. BWF
This is a great source for finding out about one at-risk natural resource: water.
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/watersustainability/files/WaterRisk.pdf
This is probably the best information that I've found
http://www.unep.org/pdf/pcdmb_policy_01.pdf
http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/08/the-resource-shortage-is-real